Walls May Be Near End With Carolina

Wesley Walls couldn't avoid the questions over Sunday's game against Chicago possibly being his last home game with the Panthers.

There's a chance that Walls, a five-time Pro Bowler, will be released by Carolina in the offseason in a salary-cap move or might even retire.

"It's pretty obvious to me the situation _ it's a reality _ it probably could be my last home game," said Walls, who will be 37 when training camp begins next season.

"That's about all I've got to say about it … I've been real good this year, keeping my two cents to myself. I'm going to keep them there until this things over with."

A 13-year veteran with a recent history of knee injuries, has two more years left on his contract. He restructured it last winter to remain in Carolina, agreeing to trim about $1 million off of his salary.

Now nearing completion on his poorest of seven seasons at Carolina, he's heading into Sunday's game with just 18 catches and four touchdowns. He's had just one game with three or more catches and his 38 yards receiving in the season-opener against Baltimore was his best outing of the year.

But he ranks third in NFL history among tight ends for touchdowns (53) and is extremely popular with the fans.

So, with another disappointing season coming to a close for Carolina (5-9), Walls' future is one of the hot topics.

"I always thought of myself as finishing as a Carolina Panther, but that's going to be determined. I think it's already decided," he said. "But we're not going to know the real facts until the season's over. So it's really no sense talking about it."

There's a chance Walls might not even play against the Bears. He hurt his foot in practice last week and was limited to one series against Pittsburgh and was walking around in a soft cast on Wednesday.

But he vowed to do his best to play, and his teammates were hopeful he'd have a good game against the Bears _ just in case its his last.

"I still tell everybody that he's the greatest tight end in the game, that is what I believe," defensive back Mike Minter said. "Hopefully it's not the last game for him."